


Kitten

by StarsGarters



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Boot Worship, Cats, Chains, Collars, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Manipulation, Everyone is awful, Force-Feeding, Grooming, Hand Feeding, M/M, Police Uniforms, Poor Life Choices, Restraints, Spanking, Stockholm Syndrome, Uniform Kink, Wrongful Imprisonment, this is not a love story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-03 10:57:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarsGarters/pseuds/StarsGarters
Summary: Hux decides to do something nice for the stray cat at his bus stop. Security Guard Ren takes NO TRESPASSING very seriously.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Hux sat down at his bus stop, took out his phone and looked at the time. “Shit.” He’d missed the bus by five minutes. Five minutes spent exchanging mindless pleasantries about his theoretical weekend plans with his boss. All he wanted to do was stay in bed, dozing away the day, indulging in his carefully curated pornography bookmarks and recovering from having to pretend to be a social human being. People were exhausting. Always wanting things from him that were beyond his control.

He dug in his pockets. “Shit.” He’d forgotten his earbuds. Not that it would have mattered with how low his battery was. He shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“Mrr?” A small orange cat leapt up upon the bus stop bench. It regarded Hux with brilliant green eyes.

“Well hello there.” Hux replied. It was only polite. “Haven’t seen you in a while Millie. Out catting around, I suppose? Having better luck with that than I am, I hope.” Dating apps were complete bullshit. His tastes were specific, it wasn’t his fault that most of the gay men in uniform he liked were total wastes of oxygen. He held out a hand and the cat bumped against his fingers, a rumbling purr bigger than the small feline. “Sorry I didn’t bring any snacks for you this time.”

Millie looked ragged, drawn thin with rough fur. She padded close to Hux and settled next to his thigh. Hux rested his hands on his knees, careful not to disturb her rest. He dreaded the inevitable day he’d find her small fluffy body on the side of the road.

Suddenly, he had weekend plans after all. “Don’t you worry sweetheart.” Hux spoke to the cat, her whiskers twitched. “I’ll find you a safe home tomorrow.”

 

Hux arrived at his normal bus stop with a plastic cat carrier, a tin of tuna fish and a determined attitude. He clicked his tongue and was rewarded by a scurrying in the underbrush. “There you are sweetheart.” The moment Millie saw the cat carrier, she flicked an ear back and bounded into the overgrown empty lot behind the bus stop.

Hux swore under his breath and followed, ignoring the filthy old signs that proclaimed NO TRESPASSERS ALLOWED in dull red letters. Millie seemed to delight in staying just out his reach, darting to and fro in the junk strewn lot. She dashed into a culvert pipe and Hux groaned, “Why cat? Why? I’m just trying to help you.” He climbed into the pipe, trying unsuccessfully to avoid hitting his head and knees on the metal. “Shit! Damn it. Ow.”

Hux rubbed his head after his vision blanked out for a moment. He fell out of the culvert, rolled and landed on his hands and knees. He grumbled and fumbled behind himself for the cat carrier, covered in dirt. What he touched was unmistakably a set of laced up boots.

Hux looked up and swallowed hard. A security guard loomed above him. His uniform clung to powerful thighs, a tapered waist and broad shoulders. The guard put his hands on his hips, flicked on his radio with his thumb. “Trespassers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Wait!” Hux held up his hand. “I’m just trying to catch my cat.” He picked up the cat carrier and shook it. “See?” He dug in his breast pocket for the tuna fish tin. “See?”

The security guard leaned down to inspect Hux, dark hair escaped from the tie at the back of his neck and Hux couldn’t help staring at the tiny constellations of moles and freckles that dotted the guard’s pale skin. His biceps strained against the black fabric of his uniform. REN was engraved on his name tag. Hux fought back the urge to gulp. The man’s voice sent a shiver down Hux’s spine. _Oh shit._ “Mr. Snoke does not like trespassers.”

 _That’s it. I’m going to spend the weekend in jail,_ Hux grimaced. _And none of the cops there are going to look as good as this rent-a-cop does._ He sat back in the dirt, tried to dust off his knees and sighed in resignation. “Fine. Whatever. Just call the cops and be done with it.” Hux rubbed at the sticky sweat on the back of his neck. “I just— I just wanted to catch that damned cat.”

At that moment, Millie sauntered over to Hux and rubbed at his legs, purring. “Tah dah.” Then she padded over to the security guard and wound about his legs. Hux gestured at Millie. “The cat makes her appearance. Ungrateful feline. I just wanted to give you a good home so you don’t get squished on the side of the road. Oh don’t look at me like that.” Hux’s head hurt and he blinked away sudden duplicates of both the hulking guard and the cat.

The security guard knelt down and Millie climbed up his arm, nestled on his shoulder next to his ear.

“Traitor.” Hux muttered. “So she’s your cat then?”

The security guard shook his head. “No.” Millie licked at the man’s sideburn.

“Well then would you mind terribly not sending me to jail and helping me get her in the carrier?”

“No.” The guard put Millie back on the ground and she bounded off.

“Why not? She’s just going to get injured or killed roaming around out here.” Hux tried to stand up and fell back against the culvert, hitting his head on the edge of the pipe. “Shit!”

This was not how his weekend was supposed to go. He should have been in his bed, drinking tea and watching bad scifi movies. Instead he crumpled to the ground in front of the security guard who looked like his best wet dream come to life.

Hux wasn’t a small man, he certainly wasn’t small enough to be picked up and slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack of concussed potatoes. And yet, here he was. Staring at the ground as it lurched with the wide steps of the security guard, his belt jingling with keys and fobs. It was a short trip and Hux found himself tossed upon a thin cot.

Hux’s eyes grew wide as the guard loomed over him, big hands clad in fingerless shooting gloves, he smoothed back Hux’s red hair. “What the—?” Hux breathed in disbelief and the guard grunted.

“You hit your head. Making sure you didn’t cut yourself.” The guard seemed to take his time and when he was satisfied, stepped back. “You seem okay.”

“Thanks?” Hux felt vaguely nauseated. “I might have a concussion? I think?” He was a medical biller by profession, all numbers and codes, no patient care. He didn’t like patients. They were so needy.

“Probably.” They were in a guard house, a tiny hut set far back on the property. Hux couldn’t hear the traffic on the road, only a light ringing in his ears. Posters for metal rock bands covered the walls in place of wallpaper. A green plastic chemical toilet leaned up against the outside wall. A hot plate and tiny refrigerator made up the kitchen.

The guard sat back in his single chair, legs spread wide as he regarded Hux with dark eyes. “What am I going to do with you?” It was a rhetorical question yet Hux’s ears burned with possibilities. 

“Take me to a doctor? That would be the best thing I think.” Hux massaged his temples and curled his legs beneath him on the cot. “Thinking hurts.”

“I’m not supposed to let any trespassers leave without Mr. Snoke’s permission.” The guard declared impassively. Millie bounded into the room and leapt unto the cot.

“Well call him. Get it over with.” He plucked the tin of tuna fish from his pocket and tossed it upon the cot. “And feed my stupid cat. I don’t understand why you won’t let me take her home.”

The guard pivoted his wheeled desk chair with a rusty creak and pulled a cardboard box. The box began to meow. Millie jumped down into the box and curled around her three black and white striped hungry kittens.

“Oh.” Hux said, “She’s a mama cat.” They watched the babies nurse, Millie purring with pride. 

“Yeah.” The guard cleared his throat. “I’m not supposed to have them here. Mr. Snoke doesn’t like animals. Doesn’t like cats.” There was an odd edge to his voice. Hux had the feeling that Mr. Snoke didn’t like much of anything.

“Why don’t you take them home with you then?” Hux prodded.

The guard chewed on his plump pink lip and gestured at the walls. “This is my home. I live here.”

“By choice?” Hux blurted out.

Spots of color bloomed high on the security guard’s cheeks and he looked away from Hux. “It’s very important to Mr. Snoke to have constant surveillance on the property.”

 _It was an abandoned lot filled with weeds, derelict buildings and rusty junk. Why would it need constant surveillance?_ “Then call Mr. Snoke and let’s get this farce over with.”

“No.” The guard shook his head.

“Why can’t you call your employer?”

The guard gestured at the kittens. “He’ll come here and he’ll hurt them.” _Oh._

Hux set his jaw. “Then I’ll take all of them home. I wasn’t planning on a litter, but I can manage. I can’t leave them here in danger.”

Another shake of his head. “I can’t let you leave until I talk to Mr. Snoke.” The guard’s big hands clamped down upon his knees until the knuckles whitened.

“So you’re just going to hold me prisoner until you figure this out? You can’t do that, you know that, right? Just let me go.” Hux tried to plead in soothing tones, but his head hurt and his voice sounded shrill to his own ears. “Please.” 

“He’ll hurt us.” The guard murmured to the kittens as if Hux wasn’t supposed to hear him. He reached for something at his belt.

_Oh. Oh my god what did I walk into?_

“What if he never knew I was here? What if I promised to never tell a soul and you forgot all about me?” Hux leaned forward on the cot. “That would work, wouldn’t it?”

The security guard stood up and loomed over Hux. “Mr. Snoke always knows.” His eyes were dark and sad beneath his uniform cap, Hux could drown in those chocolate depths. He leaned over, his breath hot against Hux’s cheek, the smell of cheap soap and toothpaste making Hux’s concussed brain spin. Hux felt a zip-tie restraint snug up around his wrists. “He’d hurt you too.”


	2. Shock

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hux kicked out with his legs, narrowly missing the security guard. It was absurd how quickly the other man moved, flipping and pinning Hux down upon the cot with a knee in Hux’s back. Another restraint bound his ankles. "Get off me!"

“No!” Hux screamed. “Help! Somebody help!” He screamed until his lungs burned, thrashed until he fell off the bed with a thud. The world lurched and spun around him, yet he still wriggled towards the open door.

 _Just a few more feet—_ Hux thought, panic running through his veins, adrenaline pulsing. The security guard reached over Hux’s prone body and shut the door to the hut with a sudden, deliberate _click._

The security guard sat down in the squeaky wheeled desk chair and giggled. He leaned over, rested his massive arms against his thighs and said, “You look so funny. Like a worm.”

“Let me go!” Hux cried out, his voice harsh from screaming.

“I told you, I can’t let you go without Mr. Snoke’s permission.” He leaned back in his chair and huffed out a sigh of disappointment. “You need to listen.”

“What I need is to get out of these restraints and get the fuck out of here!” Hux snarled, tears of impotent fury leaking down his cheeks.

“That’s not a good idea.” The guard scratched the side of his absurd nose. “You’ve got a concussion. You need someone to make sure you stay awake.”

“Oh so this is how you take care of an ailing patient? Your bedside manner sucks.” Hux narrowed his eyes as his vision swam in and out of focus. “What do you want from me? Do you get off on this bullshit?” The guard’s slow easy smile was all the confirmation that Hux needed. _I am going to_ die _here._ He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to let this monster seem him cry anymore. “Please let me go.”

“I told you. Not without Mr. Snoke’s permission.”

“Fuck you.” Hux cursed. “Just fuck you.”

“If you don’t want to talk then I could just tase you if you nod off.” Hux’s eyes flew open. The guard tapped the taser holstered on his belt. “Hurts a lot. Don’t really recommend it.”

Hux chewed on his lip and weighed his options. “Well what do you want to chat about? Guns and ammo? The care and feeding of feral cats? The consequences of longterm involuntary imprisonment?”

“What’s your name?” The guard tapped his nametag. “I’m Kylo Ren.”

“Sounds like a made up name.” Hux spat. “Was it supposed to be Kyle? Did your mother forget how to write the letter _E_ on the birth certificate?”

“If you don’t want to tell me your name, I’ll choose one for you. _Red._ ” Ren licked his lips. “You like that name, don’t you Red?”

“No. I do not. Why do you need to know my name?” Hux was torn between defiance and the urge to grovel, to be a sniveling mess of subservience. Like hell was he going to lick this asshole’s boots.

“Because I like to know my friends’ names. We’re going to be friends.” Ren picked up an old paperback book. “Good friends. Do you like stories—?” He paused, long fingers holding his place in the book.

Hux swallowed hard. “Hux. My name is Hux.”

“Hux.” Another slow easy smile. “Three letter names. That’s a good omen. Do you believe in omens, Hux?” Hux shook his head. He didn’t believe in much right now. “I only get to read to the cats and the Knights. They don’t talk a lot. It gets lonely.” Ren began to read aloud. “Chapter one. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”

Hux took the opportunity to try to collect his thoughts. His thoughts were running out of his ears trying to escape his horrific headache. _Where was his phone?_ He couldn’t feel it in his back pocket. _Shit._ It must have fallen out when Ren picked him up.

 _How big was this place?_ Hux had no idea, he’d never paid attention on his bus route. As far as he knew it was just a lot full of derelict buildings and old industrial equipment. He’d only been taking that route for a few months.

The only thing he was sure of was that he needed to escape because no one would be coming to save him.

He didn’t make friends. Friends were exhausting. There was no one waiting for him at home because who had the time to sift through all the idiots on the internet? He didn’t even have pet fish. Green eyes peeped over the edge of the cardboard box beneath the cot. _Stupid cat. Stupid fucking cat! Luring me here. That’s what I get for actually_ caring _about something._

“There. Wasn’t that nice?” Ren set the book down. “What did you think?” He leaned his head on his hand and waited for Hux’s assessment.

“Sure. It was nice.” Hux gritted his teeth.

“You didn’t listen to a word I read.”

“I’m a little distracted right now to properly enjoy story time, thank you.” Hux wriggled on the hard concrete floor, pain starting to swell from all his bruises as his adrenaline ebbed. “Next time I’ll need a carton of milk and some cookies.”

“Next time.” Ren nodded, as if he’d agreed to a solemn deal. “Perhaps you can read to me too.” He flipped on the desk lamp. “It’s getting dark. Don’t want to get eye strain.”

Darkness would be perfect cover for a stealthy escape. “I really, really have to pee.” _It wasn’t a lie._ Hux squirmed on the floor, trying to look pathetic. Ren stood up, reached into his utility belt and pulled out a butterfly knife. He flicked it open with one practiced, graceful hand and closed the distance between himself and Hux.

A tall, muscular man in uniform, looming over Hux with a sharp knife and half a smile. It would have been a great porn movie concept. It would have been a fantastic fantasy. In real life, it was utterly terrifying and Hux nearly pissed himself. Ren knelt down and with two quick swipes, cut the zip-ties.

Hux tried to rub feeling back in to his wrists as Ren examined his face. Ren tried to push a lock of hair out of Hux’s eyes and he flinched back away from Ren’s touch. Ren smiled again as if Hux were a skittish animal, destined to be tamed. “Don’t go wandering out there. The Knights are running.” Ren stood up, returned to his desk and his book.

Hux took one step, then another into the darkness beyond the guard house. He didn’t know which way to go, so he chose the area with the brightest lights in the distance. Light meant other people. Other people meant safety. Safety meant an end to this madness.

Hux ran.

He ran about two hundred feet before he heard the baying of hounds. A primal sound that echoed within his heart before his ears registered it.

Hux ran, much faster.

It wasn’t enough. Fangs ripped through the leather of his oxford, tore it from his foot, rent his flesh bloody. A shrill whistle cut through the chill night air and the beasts retreated. Hux clutched at his leg. He was bleeding, he couldn’t walk, let alone run. He was cold, too cold. Shivering. _In shock._

Kylo Ren sauntered towards Hux, his flashlight cutting through the darkness like a sword of light. Two fierce, sleek dogs trotted at his side. Blood dripped from their jaws. Ren shook his head as if Hux were a naughty child, a grave disappointment. “I told you not to go wandering. You need to listen. If we’re going to be friends—”

Hux raised his trembling bloody hand and jabbed his middle finger at Ren, before he collapsed into merciful blackness. _We’re not going to be fucking_ friends _._


	3. DENIAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please mind the updated tags.

Sugar sprinkled into coffee. Morning light over the edge of the work cubicle. Tinny, high-pitched laughter from people pretending to be friends. Hux leaned back in his chair and tried to figure out a surgical claim denial. The authorization was in place, the codes were correct, so the denial made no sense. He added the case to another coworker’s folder. He wasn’t allowed to talk to insurance companies or the patients. Something ridiculous about being a pompous British jackass on the phone. He couldn’t help that his accent made stupid people think he was being condescending. They were stupid after all.

Ms. Phasma announced her presence by the sudden absence of chatter in the room and the slow clicking of her high heels. She paused by his cubicle, dressed in head to toe snow-white. Hux envied her immaculate stylish presentation. People paid attention to Ms. Phasma, they paid _homage_ to Ms. Phasma. “And how are we doing today Mr. Hux?”

“Fine. Why?” Hux didn’t look up from his work. “Did someone complain about me again?” _Stupid people._

“I like to check on all of my employees.” She took a sip of her coffee. “There have been no complaints today.” She seemed amused.

Hux sighed. “I’ll eat my lunch outside again so I don’t upset anyone in the break room, okay?”

Ms. Phasma nodded. “I like a proactive solution to a potential problem. You’re an amazing worker Mr. Hux. We’ll work on your interpersonal skills.”

“Or you could promote me to management.” Hux offered, “Then you could lock me away in a nice office and only bring me out to yell at people.”

She smiled. It wasn’t a no. “Have a good morning, Mr. Hux.”

Hux put on his noise canceling headphones and turned on his music. There were problems to be solved and he wasn’t one of them. He was surrounded by problems. People were old, slow and inefficient. They chattered and buzzed and there was nothing worse than having to engage in a conversation about children. He was a gay bachelor, he had nothing in common with the horde of middle-aged women surrounding his cubicle. He wasn’t boring. They were.

He yawned and stretched. Maybe he’d just eat at his desk.

The lights flickered. Flickered and died. Hux stood up. He was alone.

 _Shit._ They’d all gone home and locked him the office. _Again._

He turned off his monitor, gathered his things and walked to the exit. There was a blank wall where the exit always had been. _Huh._ Hux walked to the other side of the office. Smooth bland expanses of white-painted drywall stretched out in front of him. He glanced back, his cubical was still there, but it was the only one. Florescent lights flickered overhead, their buzz amplified to a droning hum that raised the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck.

He was alone, trapped in a room with no exits. Sweat beaded on his forehead, rolled down his cheek. His rough panting panic clutched at his chest, threatened to overwhelm him. Hux dropped to his knees, clawed at his arms— alone— alone— _alone——_

“You’ll never be alone again.” A voice whispered in his ear. Warm and smooth, thick with promise and potential. “Give yourself to me.” The distant lights shut off overhead, one row at a time until Hux was enveloped in darkness. Darkness that covered his body, comforting and soothing away his panic. It was as if he were being held. Held close and watched over. The panic dwindled and Hux allowed himself to relax. The nightmare faded into an echo.

 

Ren was curled up behind him, pressing Hux close to his body.

Hux’s throat was dry. His eyes ached and his body shivered, racked with feverish chills. Pain shot up his leg and he sat up with a lurch. He attempted to sit up. Something was around his neck, holding him down. He clawed at the restraint until his fingertips recognized it as a dog collar. A _padlocked_ dog collar. A length of sturdy chain ran from Hux’s throat and was wrapped around Ren’s arm.

“Don’t struggle.” Ren said, the warm velvety voice from his nightmare, the voice that had saved him. His fucking jailer. “You’ll tear your wounds open.”

Hux blinked and dared to look at his leg, at his mangled foot. Ren had cleaned and dressed his wounds, bound them up with strips of torn blanket. “Hurts.” Hux croaked out.

“I know. I know it does.” Ren reassured him as if Hux’s pain wasn’t his fault. “Here, take these.” Familiar teal-green ibuprofen capsules. Hesitantly, Hux opened his mouth. His desire to be free of the agony in his leg outweighed his fear of being poisoned. “Just a sip.” Ren tilted a water bottle against Hux’s lips. Lukewarm water sweeter than the finest wine. “Swallow.”

“I need a doctor.” Hux whimpered. “I think it— infected.”

Ren loomed over him, bracketed Hux with his arms on the narrow bed. “You’ll be okay. I have foreseen it.” Dark hair tickled Hux’s forehead, their mouths close enough to kiss. Hux turned his face away. Ren brushed back Hux’s sweat-darkened hair from his forehead and anointed it with a kiss. It was the most tender kiss Hux had ever received, a kiss that a mother would use to soothe a baby’s nightmares. It made Hux’s stomach roil and twist.

The chain wrapped around Ren’s forearm clinked as he shifted his weight and got off the bed.The chain trailed from Ren at the desk, back to Hux’s throat. A leash. A leash for a rabid cur. Ren saw Hux’s eyes follow the length of silver metal. “It’s for your own good. You need to listen. Pet.”

“I—“ Hux choked on his dry mouth. He motioned for another sip of water. Ren stood and handed him the bottle. Hux swished the water about his mouth and swallowed. “I am not your _pet_!” Hux rolled over, cradled the bottle against his chest. Ren didn’t get to watch him cry.

 _I thought I woke up from my nightmare._ Hux gritted his teeth. Ren started reading from his book again, his voice low and soothing. _Ridiculous_.

“You don’t like this book?” Ren asked. Hux shook his head. Ren shut the book. “Then I’ll tell you a story instead. Once upon a time, there was a family made of legends…” 


	4. Anger

“Eat.” Ren commanded and shoved a small bowl of instant oatmeal at Hux’s face. Hux spat in the bowl. Ren sighed in disappointment, but didn’t remove the bowl. “Eat. Or I will make you eat.”

Hux narrowed his eyes into slits. He was weak from his injuries, but he still had a backbone. He wasn’t going to let Ren win. “Fuck. You.”

Ren sat back on his heels and reached for the chain. With an efficient yank of the chain, Hux was pinned back against the metal railing of the cot. Hux gagged, the collar pressing against his throat. Ren secured the chain with a carabiner from his utility belt. Handcuffs clinked as Ren held them up for inspection, for presentation.

“No!” Hux flailed, pinned to the cot by the collar. It was disgusting how easily Ren caught up his wrists and bound them to the railing.

“You had to make this difficult. Stubborn pet.” Ren loomed over Hux with the bowl of tepid oatmeal, he pried Hux’s mouth open with a massive hand. “Now, swallow.” Hux gritted his teeth shut as Ren poured the oatmeal into his mouth. Ren covered his mouth with one hand and pinched Hux’s nostrils closed with the other. Hux struggled, impotent tears leaking from his eyes. “What a silly thing to fight over.” Ren crooned. “If you swallow then I won’t get a tube and pour it down your throat.”

Hux’s survival instincts overrode his desire to defy Ren and he swallowed, choked and swallowed again. Ren released him and Hux inhaled, a ragged gasp. Ren stroked Hux’s throat. “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I want to go home.” Hux whimpered. “Please.”

“Eat.” Long dark eyelashes dusted his cheeks as Ren inspected his handiwork. He brushed back Hux’s hair from his brow, caught a tear on the tip of his finger and touched it to his tongue. The taste of Hux’s pain and fear seemed to stir something dangerous in the depths of his dark eyes.

“Don’t.” Hux pled, as if his words would do anything to sway the madness that loomed above him. “Don’t.”

Ren placed a kiss upon Hux’s lips that chilled Hux’s blood. Ren kissed as if he were trying to devour Hux, all teeth and tongue, ravenous hunger. If they’d met in a bar, on an app or on the street, Hux would have desired such passion. Anger swelled up in Hux’s chest, the handcuffs clanged against the bed railing and Hux bit Ren as hard as he could. He felt the skin part under his teeth, salty iron flooded his mouth.

Ren jerked back, bloody saliva dripping down his chin. Hux stared back at Ren in suicidal defiance and Ren wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I forgive you. You didn’t mean to do that.”

“Yes I fucking did.” Hux spat out Ren’s blood upon his own chest, a spatter of red. “Let me go!”

“Don’t be a dumb pet. You can’t walk on your foot. You need to be taken care of.” Ren chided Hux with absurd gently patience. “Animals don’t understand when you’re trying to help them. It takes time. Time and trust. We have all the time we need, my pet.”

“I am not your pet! I am not an animal!” Hux thrashed against his bonds, howling in distress.

Ren put his hand on his hip and smiled, infinitely patient. “You act like an animal, you get treated like one. When you are ready to behave, when you are ready to trust me, then you will be rewarded.”

“You’re a madman.” Hux squeezed his eyes shut and sagged against his bonds. “I’ll never— I’ll never be your _pet_.” His only answer was a pat on the head and a low slow hum of a nonsense tune.

 

After Hux had seen the sun rise and set three times, Ren set a bowl of oatmeal beside him on the cot. Ren went back to his desk. Hunger gnawed at Hux’s guts and he grabbed the bowl, choking down the paste. His hands shook as he licked the last bits from the bottom of the bowl. Ren leaned back in his chair, his long legs spread obscenely wide. Hux watched a slow wide smile of satisfaction spread upon his captor’s lips and he threw the bowl at Ren’s head. The plastic bowl bounced off the wall behind Ren and Hux curled up on the cot, turning his back on Ren.

 

Hux dangled his hand over the edge of the cot into the box of kittens, counting each whisker, each tiny ear. They murmured sleepy protests and Hux envied them their inevitable freedom. “You little bastards think that your cardboard box is your whole world.”

Ren was out of the guardhouse shopping for food. Hux’s chain was padlocked to a bend of rebar in the wall, just long enough for him to reach the chemical toilet if he crawled. Hux pulled on it with a feeble yank.

He hadn’t had a shower in days. His shirt was crusty with sweat and he didn’t want to think about the odor of his shorts. He lifted up his bandaged foot. By some small miracle his wounds were healing. There was no amputation in his future.

Hux peered at the posters on the wall next to his face. They were shingled to make use of every inch of space. A garish wallpaper of skulls and demons with flaming heads. “A room of musical nightmares and horrible taste.” He slid his thumbnail under the corner of one of the posters and flicked it up, a tiny act of destructive defiance. There was something under the poster. A small yellowed newspaper clipping. Hux eased the corner of the poster up further.

“Local Wrestling Academy Burns During Tournament. 22 dead.” Hux whispered to himself,“Skywalker Wrestling burnt to the ground during a invitational tournament Sunday. Police suspect arson. The doors of the gymnasium were chained shut—“ Hux’s chain jingled as he recoiled in fear. “What the fuck?” Hux smoothed down the poster and pulled his knees close to his chest.

It was a trophy. It had to be. There was no other reason to have it.

Footsteps. Hux curled up on the cot and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. The door opened. Ren walked inside and set down cans of food on the desk. A huge hand stroked Hux’s hair and Hux shivered. “Were you waiting for me, pet?”

“Just for food.” Hux managed to croak out. “I don’t really know what time it is.”

Ren hummed in approval and stroked his hair again, lingering on the nape of Hux’s neck, trailing along his throat. Ren stopped abruptly. Hux held his breath. “I see you were naughty.”

 _Shit._ “What do you mean?” Hux squeezed his eyes shut.

“Poking around in things you shouldn’t.” Ren reached over Hux and touched the curled corner of the poster. Ren clicked his tongue in reproach. “Punishment time for bad pets.” He dragged Hux from the bed with a yank of Hux’s chain. Hux fell hard on his knees in front of Ren. He was so tall, looming above Hux like a vengeful god.

To his disgust, Hux heard himself plead, “I won’t do it again.”

“Oh you will.” Ren sighed and sat down in his chair. “Put yourself over my lap.”

Hux’s eyes widened in fear. “No.”

Ren rubbed his eyes as if he were very tired. “You can do it, or I can do it. Which way do you think will be more pleasant?” _Twenty-two dead._ Hux crawled over to Ren, stood up and then put himself over Ren’s thighs. He shivered and his chain clinked. Ben’s huge hands stroked him, lingered in his greasy hair and then pulled down the waistband of Hux’s shorts. Hux’s ass was exposed to the air and he felt an odd mixture of revulsion and anticipation. His still covered cock bumped against Ren’s thigh.

“Count them.” Ren ordered dispassionately, he smelled like clean cheap soap and Hux coveted the simple act of showering. He wasn’t an animal, but he smelled like one. His thoughts were interrupted by the smack of Ren’s palm against the meat of his ass. Pain flashed through him and he yelped. “That’s not a number, pet.”

“One!” Hux bit at his lip. Ren caressed the reddened flesh, soothing away the sting. “Oh god.” He whimpered, old predilections and fetishes bubbling up. Stretched over the lap of a domineering man in uniform, it was one of his most cherished wet dreams. Ren ruined everything Hux loved. “Two!” _He was not going to get hard._ “Three!” He was getting hard. “Four!”

Ren took his time, trailing his fingers through the hair in Hux’s cleft. How could he not notice Hux’s cock hard against his leg? Hux prayed for that small mercy.

God had forsaken him.

“You like this.” Ren intoned. “You like me punishing you.” Hux shook his head, his face red with shame. “Such a bad pet. Perhaps you respond better to treats.” Ren reached beneath Hux and rubbed his thumb in the gooey slick slit of Hux’s cock. Over wrought with stimulation, pain and exhaustion Hux spasmed with a shout and Ren caught his release in his palm.

The wet sound of Ren lapping Hux’s cum from his hand caused Hux to shudder. “One touch. You came from me touching you one time. Remarkable.” Hux sagged and refused to acknowledge the fact. Ren gathered Hux up in his arms, turned him and forced Hux to look at him. Cum and spit slicked fingers caressed Hux’s face, danced over his cheekbones and forced themselves into his mouth. Bitter spunk tasted like curdled sex and madness upon Hux's tongue. Hux submitted to Ren’s embrace, his ass burning from the beating and his ears burning with shame. 

“ _Good pet.”_


	5. Bargaining

Ren was doing something horrible outside. All Hux could hear was the clanking of pipes, rustling and banging. “He’s building me a cage, Millie.” Hux whispered to the orange cat curled in his arms. “I can’t— I can’t be in a cage.” Millie purred and kneaded the flesh of his arm with her claws. “What am I going to do?” Millie twisted in his grasp, rolled over and showed him her fluffy belly. Hux blinked in surprised inspiration. _Be a good pet._

Hux’s stomach roiled. If survival meant submission, then Hux had to survive. Millie jumped out of his arms and into the box with her hungry kittens. They all had their eyes and ears open, they bumbled and stumbled about the box and cried out to escape. “I know babies. I know.” Hux murmured.

He crept from his bed, wrapped the length of chain, _his leash_ , about his arm to muffle it. When he got to the door, he crouched down and pulled it open a sliver. Ren was stripped down to his waist, sweat glimmering and glistening upon his skin. He set down the bundle of hoses in his hands and wiped his palms on his pants. “Curious pet?”

Hux flinched and then opened the door. He sat on the threshold and blinked at the glare of the sunlight. “What day is it?” Hux asked.

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Sunday.”

Hux nodded, leaned his head against the doorframe. “I have to go to work tomorrow.” He interlaced his fingers. “I used to go to work, I guess.”

“Did you enjoy your work?” Ren asked as he returned to his task.

“No. I hated it.” Hux admitted. He squeezed his eyes shut. Once the words spilled from his lips more tumbled out, a torrent that he was unable to stifle. He wasn’t a pet. He was a person. “I was surrounded by incompetent idiots who hated me and the system was rigged to work against me. Each morning I had to pretend that there was something worth waking up for because there certainly wasn’t anything worth coming home to.” He sighed, “And now I’m here. With you. And I don’t know anything about you other than you have a fondness for stray animals and chains.”

Ren whistled a small jaunty tune as he used a pipe wrench. “You never asked.”

 _Why would I ask?_ Hux wrinkled his nose. “Do you like your work?”

Ren shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s work. It’s what you do.” He dug through a paper bag of parts. “I’m sure they miss you. You seem, very efficient.”

Hux snorted. “I’m sure they’ve burnt my desk in effigy by now. Just another cog in the wheel. And what are you building out here?”

“A cage.” Ren huffed out a small laugh at Hux’s stricken expression. “No, it’s more of a present for good pets. You’ll like it. Trust me.”

“I’m not a pet.” Hux wrapped his arms around his knees. He’d lost weight and felt frail, a whisper of his former self. An echo. “I’m a person and you should treat me like one.”

Ren set down his wrench, mopped his face with a rag. “I don’t like people.” When Hux didn’t respond, Ren continued, “People expect perfection and when you try to live up to those expectations, well… They’ll find an excuse to kick your feet out from underneath you. Steal away your glory. You can’t trust people.” Sunlight backlit Ren’s body, giving him a halo of light. “You are my favorite pet.”

A ghost of a smile upon Ren’s lips and Hux picked up his chain. He went back to his bed, shutting the door behind him. Hux picked up a kitten and listened to the tiny heartbeat fluttering in his hands.

 

“Wake up, pet.” A hand upon Hux’s shoulder. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Coffee?” Hux mumbled and cracked open his eyes. Ren’s odd asymmetrical face was inches from his. “A toothbrush?”

Ren lost patience with him and scooped Hux up in his arms, bridal style. He stopped in front of a contraption of pipes and hoses. “What is that?” Hux asked with genuine curiosity as Ren set him down.

“A solar powered shower. See the cistern up there?” Ren pointed. “The water heats up and is stored over there.” Ren grinned with pride at his work.

Hux’s fingers were already working on his buttons. The idea of hot water and soap was the most seductive thing he’d ever fantasized about. Ren grabbed his hands. “Greedy pet. Let me help you.”

Ren stripped him down, fingers cataloguing each mole and freckle. _It didn’t matter,_ Hux thought. _It was just his body_. The collar came off with a click of a padlock and Hux nearly sobbed in relief. “There. There. Good pets don’t need collars. Maybe one day you’ll be a good pet.” Ren cooed while he stroked the bruised and abraded skin on Hux’s neck. Hux held up his arms and Ren slid the stiff filthy t-shirt up off of him. 

There was gravel for drainage under Hux’s bare feet. Ren held a bar of soap in a mesh bag and turned on the spigot. Lukewarm water trickled down upon Hux and he groaned in relief. Ren lathered the soap in Hux’s hair, washing every nook and cranny of Hux’s skin. Hux retreated into his own mind, into the relief of warm water. He snapped back to reality when Ren bent him over to clean the crack of his ass, under his sack. Humiliation burned on Hux’s cheeks, as red as the setting sunlight. He didn’t fight, didn’t thrash. Compliance was rewarded. Compliance was not surrender. Compliance… felt _good._

Ren rinsed off the soap and stood back to admire his handiwork. Hux lowered his eyes, stared at the healing wounds on his foot. Gnarled scars that would be with him for the rest of his life. A beach towel draped about his showers and Ren began to rub him dry. Hux’s hair stood up, clean and translucent in the setting sun’s rays.

Hux’s lips trembled and he began to shake with emotion. He never wanted to be that dirty, that wretchedly filthy again. Ren caught his bearded chin and tipped it up to meet his eyes. His captor. His jailer. His only hope of survival. “Th— thh— thank you.”

“You’re welcome pet.” Ren reached down to pick up the collar. _No no no no no no no_. Hux put his hand on Ren’s.

“Wait— What— what if I’m a _good_ pet?” Hux pleaded.

“You’ll just try to run away and I can’t let that happen. Mr. Snoke would hurt both of us.” Ren shook his head.

“What if I stayed close to you? Like your shadow? Please, please?” Ren was impassive, so Hux fell to his knees in the wet gravel and gazed up at Ren. “Please let me be close to you, my _Master.”_ Ren gulped hard enough for Hux to hear it and ran his fingers through Hux's damp red hair. Then the fingers tightened, pulled hard. Hux winced.

“Pretty words with no action to back them up.” It was a clear challenge and Hux licked his lips.

“May I suck you, my Master?” Hux simpered, his gorge threatening to rise. If this is what he had to do to survive, then so be it. Hux opened his mouth, flattened his tongue and licked the crotch of Ren’s pants.

Ren’s eyes were wide and dark with lust. He unzipped his pants and pulled out his half-hard cock. _Oh shit._ That was more than Hux had bargained for. Ren seized Hux’s left hand in his own, “If you bite me pet, I shall break your fingers.”

“No biting.” Hux agreed after contemplating the consequences.

Hux got to work. His knees ached from the gravel, his jaw hurt from the sheer girth of Ren’s horse cock and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Hux lavished Ren’s cock with his tongue, sucking and drooling. He’d never worked this hard in his life, not for anything. Certainly not giving a blowjob to a crazy arsonist while naked in the middle of an abandoned industrial lot. He was concentrating so hard on the cock in his mouth that he didn’t notice how hard he was himself.

Ren noticed. “Oh my _pet._ ” He pulled out of Hux’s mouth and shot all over his face. Hux felt cum trickled down his face and drip upon the ground. Ren pulled him up to his feet and Hux stumbled, fell into Ren’s strong arms, panting. “My perfect pet. Touch yourself.”

He couldn’t. He couldn’t jerk off while Ren was holding him upright, not with Ren’s cum dripping down his cheek, not with Ren staring into his eyes like some hypnotic lunatic— he couldn’t— he couldn’t—

He did.

Something cracked inside of Hux, spilled open. The desire to live, to survive overrode all thoughts of dignity and freedom. He shook from the force of his orgasm and if Ren hadn’t held him, Hux would have fallen to the ground. A kiss upon his lips, a kiss that felt sweet and good and so confusing.

Ren took Hux back inside the hut, placed him on the bed. “Good pet. Sweet pet. _My pet._ ” He ran a wet cloth over Hux’s face and groin, pride and ecstasy flushing red upon Ren’s pale skin. The collar was coiled at the foot of the bed upon the floor, a reminder of punishment for bad behavior. It felt like a victory. A small victory. Hux curled his fingers into a fist and held it close to his heart.


	6. Chapter 6

It was such a simple thing that led to Hux’s downfall. Something that he’d never have given a second thought before captivity.

Ren unlocked the collar around Hux’s neck after returning from errands. Hux rubbed the skin around his neck, felt the grooves the collar had worn into his skin. When Ren left the guardhouse, the collar went on. When Ren came back, the collar came off. Hux began to dread the sight of Ren leaving him and he had to clamp down on the surge of eager delight when Ren returned.

He’d started to lose track of how many days he’d been in captivity, his wounds were healed and the kittens were scrambling to get out of their cardboard prison. Hux pressed his long, chipped thumbnail into the box, an impression for every time he saw a new day. There were fifty-two impressions.

Hux pulled the edge of Ren’s old black t-shirt down over his bare legs. One morning he’d awoken to find that all his clothing was gone, Ren had thrown it away at the laundromat. “I like the way you look in my clothes.” There was nothing left of his previous life, not even his underwear. Everything was in this small one room guardhouse. Everything was given to him or taken away by Ren. Ren was the god of Hux’s new life. Hux pressed his thumbnail into the skin of his palm, the pain reminding him that he was an unwilling worshiper. The flame of defiance that had burned hot and bitter in his guts had ebbed and flickered into embers.

Ren took a bag to the makeshift kitchen and began to stack canned goods. Ren had added a toaster oven and an electric kettle, it reminded Hux of his college dormitory. An amazing smell filled the tiny guardhouse. Garlic, onions, sesame and poppyseed. _Everything._ Ren sliced a bagel in half with a switchblade from his belt and slathered it with a thick layer of softened cream cheese. Saliva pooled in Hux’s mouth and he swallowed it back with a noisy gulp.

Ren sat down in his chair, both halves of the bagel on the desk before him and said nothing. He patted his thigh, a signal. _Oh hell no._ Hux bristled. He was not a dog, he was not a pet— he looked pointedly away from Ren. Ren’s lips curled in a slight smile and he lifted the bagel to his lips. Hux heard the tiny crunch of the seeded crust, an echo of a memory.

He’d done worse things for less, that’s what Hux told himself as he was creeping off the bed towards Ren. Slowly Hux crawled over, drawn by the magnetic pull of savory memory and rested his face against Ren’s hot uniform-clad thigh. The switchblade flicked open and Ren cut off a small chunk of bagel. “Open.”

Hux opened his mouth and Ren fed the bagel to him, rubbing his rough thumb over Hux’s lower lip. Hux closed his eyes and savored every morsel. He held his mouth open for more. Ren laughed, “Greedy pet.” Ren wrapped his huge hand about Hux’s throat as Hux chewed and swallowed, stroking along Hux’s pulse.

 _Why is my dick getting hard?_ Hux pondered absently as he ate while Ren stared down at him with possessive satisfaction. Ren put the last bite of bagel upon his own tongue and held his mouth open in challenge.

Hux pulled himself up upon his knees and Ren leaned down, pulled Hux close with one hand between his shoulder blades and fed Hux, with his mouth. Hux chewed and swallowed, Ren’s lips still against his own, held upright by Ren’s grip. “Thank you.” Hux murmured and Ren swallowed his words. Ren embraced him, kissing Hux as if he were the next thing to be devoured. It was so easy to lose himself, to be consumed.

A massive hand sought out and found Hux’s cock beneath the faded black cotton t-shirt. Ren hummed in approval and stroked Hux with calloused fingers until Hux choked out a sob and spilled in Ren’s palm. Ren held up his palm in front of Hux’s face and Hux obediently lapped at his spend, his eyes glazed over. “Good pet. Good.”

The most disgusting thing about this whole situation wasn’t the taste of semen and everything bagel mixing in Hux’s mouth, it was the praise that smothered the embers of Hux’s defiance further. “My precious pet. You were meant to be mine. It was foretold.”

“Foretold?” Hux asked, swaying in Ren’s grip. “By who?”

Ren smiled and lifted Hux from the ground. “By Mr. Snoke of course.” He’d lost so much weight, Ren could manhandle him like a doll.

Hux blinked, “I thought he was going to hurt me if he found me here.” _Wasn’t that the whole point of keeping me here, you monster?_

Ren nodded, “Oh yes. He would. You’re here too soon. I haven’t fulfilled my destiny, I haven’t worked off my debt to Mr. Snoke. I cannot have anything of my own until he decrees it.” Ren inhaled the scent of Hux’s hair. “But you were meant for me.” 

“What kind of debt?” Hux asked, Ren wasn’t often this chatty.

“Do you want to see?” It was as if Ren had been waiting forever to share his secret. He hugged Hux close to his chest and asked again, “Do you really want to see?”

“Yes.” Hux wriggled his bare toes. “But I can’t walk barefoot out there.” _That was the obvious intent._ “Maybe I could have my shoes back?”

Ren barked out a laugh and walked to the door, still holding Hux like a bride about to cross the threshold. “My pet does not have to walk at all.”

Ren strode to a huge building in the center of the lot. Hux couldn’t see this particular building from the guardhouse. Wind whistled through the missing shingles on the roof and flapped the rusty corrugated steel siding. It sounded like the howling of ancient dead things. Hux shivered in Ren’s arms. “What is this place?” Ren pressed his thumb to an incongruously modern lock, then slid the door open. A single light flickered to life above them. Hux wrapped his arms around Ren’s neck as Ren stepped close to the edge of what appeared to be an endless abyss.

Ren said in Hux’s ear, his voice rough and conspiratorial. “The Pit.”

Hux craned his neck to see if he could see the bottom. He laced his fingers tight behind Ren’s neck. “Yes, I can see that. But what _is_ it?”

“An old mining shaft.” Ren rubbed his nose against Hux’s throat. “I must protect it.”

Hux shook his head. It just didn’t make sense. “Why do you have to guard this place? I mean, you could just board up the building, cover the hole, there’s no reason you should be a prisoner here—“

“I have a debt.” Ren stepped toward the pit, stopping when Hux was suspended above it, held up only by Ren’s arms and Hux’s death grip around Ren’s neck.

Hux whimpered in distress. The awful howling rang in his ears, the cries of dead damned things. He buried his face in Ren’s neck, his heart pounding up into his throat in panic. _So this is how it ends—_

Ren stepped back from the edge of the abyss, to safer ground. He set Hux down and knelt next to him. Ren petted Hux’s hair and cooed, “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you. You are destined for me.” Ren wiped tears from Hux’s wet cheeks. “I’m so glad I can share this with you.”

“I don’t understand.” Hux choked back a sob, his bare ass on the dirt floor of the building. Nothing made sense, there had to be a reason—“What is so special about this hole? What’s in it?”

Ren shrugged. “My father, for one thing.”

Hux blinked in shocked terror, his mouth open in horror at the murderous implications of that confession. 

Ren chucked a stone into the abyss and then stood up.“We should head back, it sounds like it’s going to storm. We’ll find a way to keep warm, won’t we pet?” Ren held out his hand. “If you don’t want me, just take six steps forward.”

 _Take that hand or end up in the Pit?_ Hux swallowed back his fear and reached up, clasped his hand in Ren’s. Ren hauled him up against his body and held Hux as if he were proud that Hux had made the correct choice. The only choice.

“I knew you were the right one. My sweet pet.”


	7. Chapter 7

When you had a pet you had responsibilities to feed, water and groom your beast. Dinner was a thick sandwich with a cup of hot tea, Hux’s incessant gnawing hunger was sated and it made him obedient.

Ren ran a small trimmer over Hux’s beard, clipping it short. Hux sat very still until Ren grunted at him and Hux stood, lifted his shirt. Ren ran the trimmer over Hux’s thatch of pubic hair. Another grunt and Hux bent over the bed, spreading his legs wide. Ren ghosted a thumb over Hux’s hole and Hux wondered if Ren would finally penetrate him and if he’d bother to fight back or protest. Ren finished up the trimming and patted Hux on the hip. That was Hux’s cue to grab a small dustpan and broom for the clippings.

The guardhouse was slowly turning into a parody of a small home, but it was still a prison. Ren occasionally brought back scavenged furnishings like shelving and drapes for the windows, pillows and a bag of used paperbacks that Hux greedily dove into. As the sun set they’d take turns reading pulpy adventures aloud to each other. Stories that might have made Hux cringe in the past now thrilled him and he looked forward to each new chapter.

Ren placed a small rug on the cement floor in front of his chair. He clicked his tongue and Hux was distantly disgusted at how quickly he scrambled from his perch on the bed. He sat on the rug and awaited Ren’s whim. Ren’s moods flitted and flickered from euphoric to abysmal in a heartbeat and Hux tried to anticipate his desires. It was exhausting, but Ren was his world. Ren and the threat of The Pit lurking out in the darkness. 

Ren bracketed him with his thick uniform clad thighs and ran his fingers through Hux’s long hair. Hux closed his eyes as Ren petted him, then ran a comb through the tangles. He’d never had long hair before, now it grazed the crook of his neck. Hux moaned in bliss as firm fingertips massaged his scalp. The sound echoed and Ren seemed determined to coax more noises from Hux’s throat. Thumbs pressed at the base of his skull and Hux whimpered at the release of tension. Ren brushed his fingernails through Hux’s beard, indulging in affection that Hux swore he’d never genuinely return. 

Ren began to twist and plait Hux’s hair, humming a soft nonsense song. It was relaxing and peaceful, the rug protecting Hux’s bare bottom half from the concrete’s chill. Wind gusted outside, rattled the loose metal on the roof and crept beneath the door. Hux shivered and Ren put a warm hand upon Hux’s neck. “Cold?” Hux nodded, perhaps he could get more clothing. “Back on the bed pet.” Ren ordered and Hux obeyed.

Ren opened the closet and pulled a thick woolen blanket from the top shelf. “Take off your shirt and get under the sheets.” Ren usually dozed in his chair, head on his desk and would sprawl upon Hux in the wee hours of the morning. The sheets separated them and Hux wasn’t eager to change that dynamic. He only had so many things to offer Ren, he couldn’t give up his ass that easily. But that blanket… that blanket would be so warm…

Ren smirked as Hux sighed in resignation and shimmied out of his shirt, folded it neatly and crawled beneath the sheets. Ren spread the blanket over Hux, tucked it in around him but made no attempt to join Hux. Ren returned to his chair and began to read a book. Hux watched Ren, his dark head surrounded by a halo of lamp light.

A scratching at the door. Ren stood up and let in Millie. Her litter of kittens followed, soon they were all curled up next to Hux on the blanket. Purring cats, warmth and the flicking of pages in silence. It was almost domestic. Something that Hux would have possibly wanted for himself in a previous life, but stolen away and perverted. Hux dozed off into the warm, sweet embrace of sleep.

“Who is Marty?” Ren asked, without lifting his head from the book.

Hux blinked awake. “What?”

“You were calling for them in your sleep. A boyfriend?” Ugly jealousy coated Ren’s words. “An old lover?”

“Martie was my mother. Short for Martelle.” Hux murmured. “She’s dead.” Hux volunteered the information without hesitation, anxious to soothe Ren’s feelings. “Cancer. I was very young.” Ren grunted in satisfaction and Hux ventured, “What did I say?”

Ren closed his book, dark eyes narrowed with ambiguous menace. “You said that you were scared. Scared of _me_. You called for your mother to save you. You don’t need saving. You are home. You are here with me and this is your home, _pet._ Maybe you have it too good, maybe I’ve been too lax with you, too indulgent. Maybe I should make you be afraid of me, punish you, you ungrateful thing.” Ren touched his utility belt, “I have so many ways to punish you. So many. Maybe you need to suffer before you understand how good you have it with me.”

“Must have been a bad dream,” Hux soothed. “Just a bad dream. I’m not afraid of you. Why would I be afraid of you? You take such good care of me.” Ren crossed his arms, a petulant, pouting lip stuck out. He wasn’t convinced. Hux ran through his options and out of sheer desperation, flung back the covers, dislodging the sleepily protesting kittens.

Hux knelt in front of Ren, utterly nude and vulnerable. He hunched his shoulders to appear smaller, submissive and then pressed his lips to the tip of Ren’s boot. Ren gasped as Hux anointed his boot with wet kisses, trailing his tongue up the latticed laces, worshiping the leather with his mouth. It was something he’d seen in a porn video, a long time ago. “You are my everything, my Master.” Hux murmured, eyes downcast. “I want to be the best pet.” He gritted his teeth and tried to not spit out his next words like poison. “ _I love you._ ” 

“You what?” Ren pulled Hux up by his braided hair, searched his eyes for deceit. “Say that again.”

Hux took a breath and let words tumble from his lips, a cascade of lies and half truths mixed with desperation. “You take such good care of me, you protect me and feed me and clothe me. You are my world. You are my everything. I wake up in the morning and look for your face because then I know I am safe. You are my protector. My knight. My savior. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and I lied. I lied to you. I am afraid—“ Ren stared at him with wide eyes, stunned at the torrent of words and Hux gasped out with tears leaking from his own eyes, “I am so, so afraid that you won’t love me as deeply as I love you.”

“Oh my pet— how can I convince you?” Ren held Hux close, cradling his body as if he might shatter into a thousand pieces. Hurt malicious jealousy was replaced with adoration. The expression on Ren’s face made Hux’s gut ache with longing. How long had Hux waited and hoped for someone to look at him like that? He screwed his eyes tightly shut so his foolish heart couldn’t betray him. “Tell me.”

“I don’t want to be just your pet.” Hux whispered in Ren’s arms, sealing his fate. “Make love to me.” 


	8. Chapter 8

Ren lifted Hux up in his arms and placed him in the bed as if he were made of porcelain. Ren swallowed hard as he gazed at his captive and pulled the blankets back over Hux. Hux blinked in surprise when Ren didn’t join him, but kissed his forehead with bizarre tender fondness. “You love me.” Ren murmured in awe. “You love me, _Hux._ ”

Hux startled at the alien sound of his own name. He hadn’t heard it in months. Why was Ren calling him by his name instead of some stupid pet name? “I do.” Hux confirmed, woozy with gratitude that he wasn’t going to be violated at that moment.

Ren stood up and grinned. He dug through his clothing and pulled on an assortment of black garments as Hux watched in bewilderment. Ren flipped his long black metal flashlight in his hand and secured it to his belt. He brushed his gloved knuckles against Hux’s face and went to the door. “Now where did I put that shovel?”

 _What the hell was happening? Why did Ren need a shovel? He had The Pit!_ Hux pressed his hands against his own throat as the door shut behind Ren. Ren was gone. _Where was the collar?_ It was on the floor, curled up in a nest of chain links. A fleeting wild hope bubbled up in his guts, he could escape, he could tear up blankets and wrap them around his feet, steal a flashlight— a howl in the distance, the scuffling of paws in the gravel. The Knights were running.

Hux shrank back under the blanket. He was still trapped. 

He’d seen the need, the pure lust in Ren’s eyes often enough to reassure himself of his desirability. Something had changed drastically, tilted the Earth off its axis, Hux had no idea as to how to proceed. So he waited. Like a good boy.

Hux never heard Ren until his booted feet touched the threshold, even then Hux had the suspicion that Ren allowed himself to be heard. The thumping of boots knocking dirt from cleats on the threshold. Hux sat up in the bed in fearful anticipation, clutching the blanket to his chest.

Ren emerged from the darkness and loomed over Hux. He smelled of fresh dirt, a smudge over his pale cheek. Ren knelt down on one knee and pulled out a scrap of dirty torn silk. He opened the tiny bundle and Hux gasped. A gold ring crowned with an enormous pigeon egg-sized diamond, a diamond that empires would have warred to obtain. “Hux.” Ren asked, a hitch in his voice. “Will you marry me?”

_What the fuck— no! No! No! I don’t love you! I will never love you—_

Hux’s mouth fell open and words failed him, so he nodded. Ren’s eyes softened and he caressed Hux’s face, dirt-caked beneath his nails. 

“Stunned speechless, I see.” Ren put the ring upon Hux’s finger, it barely fit over the knuckle and Hux winced as Ren forced it into place. Ren smiled at Hux, goofy with joy. It made the corners of his eyes crinkle and Hux’s mouth went dry with confusion. “It was my grandmother’s. She was a queen. The queen of a long forgotten empire.”

“What?” Hux stared at the ring heavy on his hand. “Where did you get this?” _Oh no_. _It can’t be._ The dirt. The torn piece of silk. Ren skulking out in the dead of night with a shovel. “Did you dig up your grandmother’s grave?”

Ren shrugged and curled around Hux over the covers. He clasped Hux’s hands in his own and kissed each of Hux’s fingers. “It’s not like she was using it.” Ren lifted his head and stole a kiss from Hux’s lips. He kissed like he _cared._ That was absurd. And gross. And confusing to Hux’s half-hard cock.

Ren moaned against Hux’s mouth, “Oh my sweet pet— no, you’re not my pet anymore. You’re my fiancé. My chosen. The one who will spend his life with me. I’ll never let you go.” Ren laid his head in Hux’s lap, rubbing his thigh through the blankets. “I’ll break your legs before I let you walk away from me.”

 

Frost coated the windows in a lacy veil. Hux stretched and displaced a kitten who complained with a sleepy mew. The cats slept with them now, the cardboard box with fingernail imprints long since disposed of. 

“Good morning!” Ren chirped inches away from Hux’s face. Hux jerked awake, smacking the back of his head against the wall. “Silly Hux. Here. I got you a present.” Ren put a small brown paper bag wrapped parcel on the bed. “Open it.”

 _God I hope it’s not another part of a dead relative._ Hux broke open the paper. Thick black fleece fabric. Elastic. A drawstring. Tears slid down his face and spattered upon the brown craft paper. “You got me _sweatpants_.”

“You don’t like them?” Ren knelt down. “It’s getting colder. I thought you might like them. I can take them back—“

Hux crushed the gift against his chest, ferociously. “I love them. I love them so much.” Better than diamonds. “I’ll never take them off.”

Ren laughed at that. “Oh, you will occasionally. I’ll take them off for you. Oh! And I got you some socks. And some slippers! They’re fuzzy.”

Hux sniffled. “Why are you doing this?”

“Well that’s what you’re supposed to do on Christmas, silly Hux.” Ren tilted his head to the side, dark eyes alight with delight. “You give gifts to people you love. Don’t they have Christmas where you’re from?”

 _Christmas. Nine months. He’d been here for nine months._ “We had Christmas too.” He looked at the floor. “I didn’t get you anything.”

Ren sat on the bed and patted him on the head. “That’s okay. You’re the best present I’ve ever gotten. You’ve really changed my life Hux.” 

“Why? Why are you not treating me like your pet anymore?”

Ren snorted. “Well you can’t get married to your pet, duh. You can only get married to another person. That’s absurd. I mean, if you’re missing your collar I can put it on you—“

“No!” Hux protested and hugged his gift closer. “I— I like this. I like this side of you better.” How disgusting that was. How true it was. He was so starved for human compassion, for simple decency that he sobbed over fucking sweatpants. Hux rested his head on Ren’s shoulder. “Thank you. Merry Christmas.”

“Uh oh.” Ren said and pointed up. “Looks like we’re under the mistletoe.” There was a gob of something green secured with a red ribbon dangling from the ceiling.

Hux laughed. He laughed at the sheer absurdity of his situation. He laughed at his shameful weakness, at Ren’s stupid hopeful smile. He laughed as he grabbed a handful of Ren’s soft hair and pulled his captor into a kiss. The kiss deepened into something primal, Hux’s desire overwhelming his better senses. He launched himself at Ren, straddling his lap and rutting against him.

“Baby— baby—“ Ren murmured, “Wait baby—“

“No.” Hux spat and claimed Ren’s mouth, dragging his teeth along the vermillion border. “You have to open your gift.”

Ren seized a handful of Hux’s hair, wrenched back his neck. “Not until after we’re married, you wicked thing.”

“Oh yeah? Who is going to marry us? The fucking cat?” Hux sneered. Ren slapped his cheek, Hux’s skin burned and he gasped. _How was it possible for his dick to get harder?_

Ren traced his fingertip down the bridge of Hux’s nose, the divot above his lips, down his chin. Hux moaned incoherently in response. Ren curled his hand about Hux’s cock, stripped pleasure from Hux with sure, cruel strokes. “Do you trust me?” Hux rolled his eyes back in bliss and derision but Ren was too busy sucking bruises into his throat.

It would be so easy to grab something from Ren’s utility belt. The taser. The wicked switchblade. Hux imagined stabbing Ren in the face, imagined blood dripping down his pale skin, staining crimson. Hux laughed, a joyful bubbling trill and Ren redoubled his efforts, trying to wring out an orgasm from the writhing man on his lap. Soon Hux gasped and came in Ren’s palm. Ren anointed Hux with tender kisses that felt sinfully searing, utterly debasing.

Ren crooned. “Of course you trust me. So be patient my little red sweetheart. Soon we will be one.”

 


	9. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Choking, minor character death 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Wake up, lazy bones.” Ren crooned in Hux’s ear. Hux blinked sleep away from his eyes and yawned. Ren combed back Hux’s hair from his forehead. “I have to go into town today.” Hux nodded and reached over the edge of the bed, feeling about for the collar. Ren shook his head. “No need for that.” He folded Hux’s hands in his own, his eyes soft and sweet. It would be so easy to fall into that gaze and drown.

Hux wrapped himself up in his blankets and sat in the desk chair, gazing out the window at Ren’s dark form in the snow. Hux fiddled with the ring on his finger. _Why aren’t I trying to escape?_

The kettle whistled and Hux brewed a cup of tea. The hot mug warmed his fingers and steam tickled his nose. _Because it would be useless._ The sad truth was that Hux had nothing to return to. Nothing worth fighting for. His home was a rental. His belongings were most likely sold or thrown away. His job— Hux snorted— his job could go fuck itself. His family? Well, he had more emotional attachment to the litter of lanky kittens attacking each other on the floor beside his feet.

 _This wasn’t so bad._ Hux rationalized. Once he’d gotten pants, things had changed. The food was better after he’d convinced Ren to let him cook. He had a full set of warm clothes and his slippers. Bags of books to read. And Ren. _Ren._ Hux took a sip too soon and scalded his tongue.

What was love anyway? His previous boyfriends called Hux cold, cruel and bossy. He just had no patience for idiots, there was no need to let that _mess_ into his life.

It was oddly comforting to have all the stress of societal expectations taken from him. All he had to do was make Ren happy and Ren was— Ren was an overgrown murderous child who for some reason thought the sun rose and set in the halo of Hux’s red hair. Hux snorted and thought about Ren kneeling in front of him last night, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes as he worshiped Hux’s cock just to hear a litany of praise spill from Hux’s lips. _Pathetically easy. Ridiculously sweet._

There was no rush to leave, no need to escape. Everything Hux needed was right here. He wasn’t scared anymore by Ren. He’d tamed the beast. Millie hopped into his lap and Hux stroked her thick winter coat. He sipped his tea and pondered what to make for dinner. Ren did like grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in tomato soup…

 

“Where is he?” Hux asked the cats. “It never takes him this long. Maybe the snow? Do you think he got stuck in the snow?” Millie licked her rear end in response. Hux turned back to the dark window, anxiety clutching at his chest. He picked up the collar and rotated it in his hands.

He shouldn’t care. He didn’t care. Damn it.

Hux put on all his clothing, layered Ren’s over his single set of clothes and wrapped his woolen blanket over himself as a cloak. Plastic grocery bags over his socks to keep his feet dry. “I’m going to go find him. Yes, I know it’s a stupid idea but what if he’s lost out there in the snow? No, the Knights aren’t out, they’re still in the kennel. Look, if you’re just going to argue with me then you’re not being much of a help, Millie!” Hux reached out for the handle, his hand wasn’t trembling from just the cold. “Oh come on Hux, get your shit together.”

If he walked in a straight line, one foot in front of the other… The snow blanketed the ground, Hux shuffled forward. _Of all the stupid, stupid fucking stupid ideas_ , Hux berated himself as his fingers and toes went numb. _It’s not like you care about Ren, you don’t care about anyone but yourself._ Snow stuck to his eyelashes, blinding him.

Lights. Light meant people. People meant freedom. Freedom meant— explanations, shame and consequences. The lights were getting closer. Hux stared at the lights.

A car. A car in the lot.

Ren got out of the passenger side door, his dark hair loose and flapping in the wind. Hux felt his face crumple in relief and with a sob he ran towards Ren. Ren seized Hux about the throat and began to squeeze with the hands that had caressed Hux so tenderly. “You were trying to leave me!” Ren hissed in Hux’s ear. “You betrayed me.” Hux clawed at Ren’s hands, trying to plead but Ren’s face was colder than the snow swirling about them, chiseled from icy stone.

“Oh just throw him into the trunk with the other one. It’s getting cold in here.” Another voice. The first voice Hux had heard other than Ren’s and his own in over a year. Gravely and hoarse. Ren threw Hux into the trunk of the car with a strangled yelp.

“I trusted you.” Ren said softly as he shut the trunk. Hux pounded on the lid, his throat swollen and his voice stolen from him. The car moved forward and Hux’s body lurched against something else in the trunk. He felt blindly with numb fingers and a scream died in his throat as he felt unmistakable, lifeless stiff fingers.

All thoughts of fondness, of tender feelings froze in Hux’s heart. How could he have forgotten that Ren was a beast, a monster incapable of love or gratitude? Survival. It had always been about survival no matter how Hux’s heart had twisted his motivations. He was going to live! He had to _live_!

 

Ren pulled Hux out of the trunk and threw him to the ground. The car was still running as Ren dragged him into the dreaded warehouse. Flickering florescent lights overhead cast a ghoulish green tinge on Ren’s pale skin, making him look every inch of the monster he was. The monster that Hux knew he always was.

A gnarled old man in a gold tracksuit brushed snow off his shoulders. “Now Ren, explain to me why we have a visitor in the middle of a blizzard.” _Snoke. It had to be._

“A trespasser.” Ren stalked back to the car, returned with the body from the trunk.

“Well we both know how I feel about trespassers. But this one looks like he knows you.” Snoke crossed his arms and sat down on a crate perilously close to the edge of the Pit. “Explain to me why.”

“He’s nothing.” Ren looked at the dead body on the ground. “Just meat for the Pit.” He kicked the corpse into the yawning void to avoid meeting Snoke’s eyes.

“Huh uh.” Snoke picked at his teeth and spat into the abyss, then addressed Hux. “Since my young friend won’t tell me the truth, then I’ll ask you. Who are you?”

Hux croaked out as he reached towards Ren with trembling fingers, “I— belong— to Ren.” Ren flinched at his words and Snoke sighed in disappointment.

“Really.” He patted his pockets and found a lighter for a cigarette. “I thought you were being oddly quiet these past months, Ren. Usually you’re begging for chances to lessen your debt to me.” He inhaled and blew out a circle of smoke. “You know that you’ve just indebted yourself further with this infraction. You were so close to freedom. I hope he was worth it.”

Ren’s broad shoulders slumped, he turned his back on Snoke and loomed over Hux. He held out his hand and Hux took it. He lifted Hux up and held him against his massive chest, crushing the air from his lungs. “I loved you.” Ren whispered in his ear, “Why did you betray me?”

Snoke snorted in derision.“There’s no point in trying to persuade my faithful dog. He belongs to me. He has ever since he murdered his own father in a rage and I helped him escape punishment. That’s a blood price. That’s a life debt.” Snoke inhaled and coughed. “There’s nothing you could offer that could counter that. Look at him, Kylo. He’s pathetic.You don’t need anyone. You don’t need anyone to be _strong._ ”

Hux clasped Ren’s face in his weak, numb hands and forced his voice to work, his swollen throat about to steal his life. “I was— trying to _find_ you.” Ren shook his head, not convinced. “It doesn’t matter if you need me. I need _you_ , Ren. I need you.” Doubt flared in those dark eyes and then was quickly smothered. “Please Ren. Please.”

“Oh just fucking throw him in already.” Snoke ordered. “Here, I’ll shoot him if that makes it easier for you, if you’re too weak to do what needs to be done.”

Tears welled up in Hux’s eyes and he pressed his lips to Ren’s. “I’ll always love you, Ren. I hope you’ll forgive yourself, as I forgive you.” Hux closed his eyes, clenched his fists and held his breath. He’d done his best. Bargained with monsters, sold himself. Hux’s heartbeat throbbed in his ears. Ren set him down, walked towards Snoke, footsteps crunching on the gravel.

“I’m tired of cleaning up your messes, Ren. If you didn’t have that fortune to inherit, you’d be less than worthless—” Snoke snarled and Hux heard the safety on the gun click off. “What— what the devil—“ Two quick bangs. Hux’s eyes flew open and he pressed his own hands against his uninjured body in disbelief.

Ren picked up the old man and heaved him down into the void. “Youuuuuuuuuu———!” Snoke’s voice dwindled and faded as Ren watched.

An angry red line diagonally bisected Ren’s face, the path of a bullet that grazed his skin and missed his brain. “Hux.” Ren smiled, the beatific smile of a murderous angel and then collapsed to the ground.

_It was over._

Hux could walk away. He could push Ren into the Pit. He could be free. _Freedom_. _Freedom_. Freedom tasted like ashes and shame.

Hux dashed over to Ren, lifted his bloody shirt and blinked in shock at black Gothic letters freshly tattooed below Ren’s ribs. **_HUX_** _._ The bullet had entered dead center in the U. _Well that’s new._ Hux tore off one of his layers and pressed it to Ren’s wound.

“Don’t you die on me Ren! Don’t you dare die on me.” Hux commanded and did his best to drag Ren to Snoke’s still running car. Ren crawled into the back seat and Hux shut the door.

“I have— I have to tell you something.”

“Save your strength.” Hux sped out of the lot, studded snow tires skidding on the road. He vaguely remembered where a hospital was.

“My real name is Ben. Ben Solo.” Ren wheezed out, a confession that Hux had no idea what to do with. He filed away the information in his brain.

“That will be very helpful when filling out the hospital intake paperwork.” Hux replied, his voice calm but his heart pounding. “I sure hope you have health insurance because I’ve misplaced my wallet somewhere. Ren? REN!?”

 

Ren was still in the hospital. An induced coma. Hux had left his number, a new prepaid burner phone, so that the hospital could call when Ren woke up. The poor man had been mugged, shot and left for dead. That was the story that Hux concocted on the spot before he left the hospital. He didn’t like the way people looked at him, like he was feral, a creature beneath contempt.

There was no reason to leave the guardhouse, he had nowhere else to go. And someone had to feed the animals. Yes even the vile snapping dogs. They seemed to miss Ren.

 _Could a whole vehicle fit in the Pit? Put it into neutral and give it a good shove…_ Hux tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he backed Snoke’s car into the warehouse. _Only one way to find out…_

 

He knocked the snow from his feet and stepped into the guardhouse to the cries of hungry cats with no manners and bottomless tummies. He’d peeled the posters from the guardhouse walls and studied the newspaper clippings carefully hidden beneath them. Hux was surrounded by the exploits and crimes of Ben Solo, scion of wealth and privilege. A former world freestyle wrestling champion disgraced by steroid induced rages and stripped of his titles. Presumed lost for years.

Hux touched a tattered paperback he’d found hidden in the floorboards, along with several gym bags stuffed with illegal cash, drugs and guns. The paperback was titled, ‘Royalty and Robber Barons.’ On the cover, a regal young woman wore the ring on Hux’s finger. Hux had read it cover to cover twice. Ren hadn’t been lying.

Snoke had been the boy’s former coach. Probably was the one giving him steroids. Manipulating Ren and hiding him away until he inherited the family fortune.

All that money would be going to an emotionally destroyed sadist child. Ren would be easy pickings for the vultures that swooped in when opportunity presented itself. Unless Hux was there first. He kicked the collar under the bed. _Ren owed him a life, a comfortable one._ The cats swarmed his ankles.

“No, it is not time for dinner yet and I am not starving you, quit trying to manipulate me you little—“ The phone chirped and buzzed in his pocket. Hux nearly dropped it in his haste to answer. “Hello?”

A low gravely female voice, “Is this Mr. Hux? The man who brought my son Ben to the hospital?”

Ren’s mother. The Senator. Hux sat down on the bed, displacing a few cats. “Yes, I am. Is Ren— Is Ben awake?” Hux chewed on his lip.

“He is. And he’s asking for you. Moaning for you, actually.”

“I’ll be right there.”

 

Hux stood in front of Ben Solo’s mother for inspection in the hospital waiting room. His throat still bore the distinctive bruises of throttling. She looked him over and curiosity warred with suspicion. “You saved my son’s life.” Hux nodded. She saw the ring on his hand and her eyebrows flew up in shock. “Padme’s ring. Grave robber!”

Hux took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ma’am. Digging up your ancestor’s grave seems like one of your son's lesser crimes.”

Senator Organa grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a quieter corner. “Ben did what?”

 _He stole my life!_ Hux pulled away from her grasp. “Let me see him.”

Ren looked smaller in the hospital bed. His dark hair was lank and tangled on his pillow, the wound on his face sutured and red. The edges of HUX showed around the dressing on his torso. Hux had the urge to touch the tattoo but he clenched his fingers on the rails of the hospital bed instead.

“Ren. I’m here.” Hux said. There was no response. Monitors beeped and Hux leaned over to speak in Ren’s ear. “Your _pet_ is here.” Ren’s obscenely long eyelashes fluttered on his cheeks and he turned his head towards Hux. Senator Organa took a step closer, her hands clasped together and pressed against her chin.

“My Hux.” Ren croaked out, his gaze swimming into focus. He saw the faded bruises on Hux’s throat and tears welled up. “Oh god. I hurt you.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Hux crooned, catching Ren’s hand in his own. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.” The Senator flinched and Hux hid a smirk by kissing Ren’s fingers. “You’re going to get better.”

“You came back for me? Why? I tried to kill you.” Ren licked his lips, his mouth dry.

“You did try to kill me, but I talked you out of that terrible idea. Because I love you. And you love me. And we’re going to be together for a very long time.”

“Dad said that too. I killed him. I kill everything I love, Hux.” Ren confessed in a drugged stammer. His mother turned pale as the hospital sheets.

“No one knows about that, my beloved. Just me. And I won’t tell anyone. You won’t go to jail. You won’t be executed. You are safe, my love. Trust in me. I only want the best for you.” Hux combed back Ren’s hair. “I told you, we’re in this together. Remember when you caught me, chained me up and kept me as your pet for the past year? Everyone thinks I’m dead.” Ren nodded. “Well the jokes on them. Because I’m more alive now than I ever have been. I’m alive with the power of love.” _That was laying it on a bit thick, but desperate times called for desperate measures._ “The only way I’ll leave you is if your family tears us apart, but you won’t let that happen. Will you Ren?”

Ren drew Hux down into his arms, a careful embrace around tubes and wires. He looked directly at his aghast mother and proclaimed, “I would burn the world down for you. My beloved. My _Hux_.”

Hux smiled in satisfaction against Ren’s skin. A very long time was such a subjective thing. A life could end and be renewed in a heartbeat. Hux was patient. And he knew where the bodies were buried. “You’ll never be alone again. My sweet Kylo Ren.”


End file.
